Subscribe
Follow Us
The Washington Nationals travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Cubs for the start of a three game series on Monday night. Check out our MLB odds series as we hand out a Nationals-Cubs prediction and pick while letting you know how to watch the game, as well.
After dropping the first game, the Nationals were able to take three of four from the Cubs back in early May in D.C. In that series, the Nationals outscored the Cubs 11-10, so it was a pretty low scoring series. The Nationals hit .240 as a team in the four games played. Dominic Smith was 6-13 with a double to lead the Nationals. C.J Abrams had five hits while Lane Thomas had four hits, including two home runs. Alex Call had just two hits, but one was a walk-off home run. The Nationals were dominant on the mound against the Cubs in May. They had a 2.50 ERA, and a 1.19 WHIP. Their bullpen allowed just three runs in 15 1/3 innings pitched.
The Cubs were in the midst of a massive struggle against the Nationals the last time they played. Chicago hit just .227 in the series. Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki, and Cody Bellinger all had five hits in the four games. Swanson added a home run, as well. Ian Happ and Patrick Wisdom were the other two Cubs' players to go deep. The Cubs threw the ball very well in their series earlier this season. They had a 3.00 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00. However, they had just a 5.5 K/9. Three of their four starters did notch a quality start, though.
MacKenzie Gore and Drew Smyly will take the ball for their teams to begin this series.
Here are the Nationals-Cubs MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Nationals-Cubs Odds
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-176)
Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+146)
Over: 8.5 (-118)
Under: 8.5 (-104)
How To Watch Nationals vs. Cubs
TV: MASN, Marquee Sports Network
Stream: MLB TV subscription
Time: 8:05 PM ET/5:05 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
The Nationals are 27 points better against left-handed pitching. They have a decent offense that lacks power, but they can hit a little bit. Washington bats .278 off left-handed pitching this season, so there should be some hits in this game. Smyly has beens struggling lately, so the Nationals will come into this game ready to hit.
Gore is actually a better pitcher away from home. He has an oBA of .245 on the road this season compared to a .299 at home. Gore also has a much better K/9 and a better K/BB ratio when pitching away from home. He needs to have a strong outing, but it is very possible. If Gore can do this, the Nationals will cover the spread.
Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread
Drew Smyly already has a start against the Nationals this season. He pitched very well in that start. Smyly finished with seven innings pitched, one run allowed on six hits, and two strikeouts. He has not been pitching great as of late, but the Cubs are hopeful that he can get back on track against a team he has had success against already. He needs to go a little deeper into this game, to give the Cubs bullpen a rest. If Smyly can go six or seven strong, Chicago will be in good shape.
The Cubs have faced Gore already this season. In that game, Chicago put up four runs on seven hits, and knocked Gore out after just four innings. Gore does give up his fair share of hits, so the Cubs have a decent matchup in this game. Especially because they bat .261 against left-handed pitching. That is about 20 points better than their average against lefties. If they can find a way knock Gore around again, they will cover this spread.
Final Nationals-Cubs Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a tight game and tight series. Both of these pitchers are more than capable of pitching lights out. However, they can both easily get shelled in the game, as well. With that said, I expect the Cubs to come out and win this game while covering the spread. Hopefully Smyly was able to stay locked in during the All-Star break and stay sharp. I will roll with the Cubs in this one.
Final Nationals-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Cubs -1.5 (+146), Over 8.5 (-118)
